“Obviously coming there with the title already means a lot, but I do really want to finish strong,” said the Russian, who accepted a wild card for the event.

“I don’t remember the last time that I played three events in a row. But I will give it everything I have got and I know I have so many amazing fans there.”

The five-times grand slam champion said the Tianjin title, the 36th of her career, was special.

“It has been a couple of years since I have held the winner’s trophy. It is a great feeling,” she said.

“When you start all the way from the beginning of the tournament and then you end up playing the final in a full stadium with so much enthusiasm and energy and you are the one that wins the last point, just everything falls into place.

“You have to appreciate those moments, never take them for granted.”

Sharapova takes on Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova in the opening round in Moscow.